On Mental Illness:'Christians Should Not Be Afraid Of Medicine&#39

[ncn]

Please all remember that we have many members that take medicine for a variety of reasons in their life.

 

They do so under medical supervision and many of them will need to take that medication for life.

 

It can be very dangerous and upsetting to those that do when they read mixed opinions on taking medication. 

 

Medication should never be stopped without consulting with your doctor first.

There is no shame in taking antidepressants and they do help someone to have a good quality of life.

They help the person function in their daily life.

 

There is no stigma in asking or seeking medical help to fight depression and any stigma attached to it ,comes from people that are ill in formed.

 

Before posting on a thread regarding this type of topic we should really stop and ask ourselves what message we are sending out. 

[kwikphilly]

Blessings to all,

     This is true but much of the approved testing is done by the IMO....the problem in many testings is the generalization of that clinical diagnosis....unfortunately more times that ought be they are thrown into one category for mental illness ie:chemical imbalances........A person can have different types of mental disorders -physical,physiological or psychological disorders which must be treated much differently in each case......The subjects,for example,being placebo tested for a mental disorder that is purely psychological is not going to benefit  as a chemically imbalanced subject is and therefore the tests are terribly inaccurate. Its all about money as far as the pharmaceutical companies are concerned.....

   In the Bible many ailments were treated with balms and sauves,Luke was a physician....Christians have mortal bodies just like anyone else and should ,of course pray ,but also seek the appropriate medical attention they need....be it mental or physical.........why wouldn't God use doctors and medicines to heal and bless?Personally I seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to show me the way...when I was faced with making the decision of chemo,radiation,surgery or doing nothing ,God showed me which way to go(chemo/radiation)....Why would it be any different for mental disorder?

   There is no doubt that we serve a miracle working God that is able to do all things,nothing is impossible for Him....but He doesn't always work His miracles out of thin air....He gives us Wisdom and knowledge to use our heads and seek professional help.

                                                                                                            With love,in Christ-Kwik

[nebula]

The problem here is that there is no "one size fits all" solution.

 

The body, soul, and spirit are all tied together. It is true that what effects one will affect the others.

 

When dealing with mental illnesses, all three parts need to be treated - body and soul and spirit.

 

For the body, medication can be a very useful tool. The problem is that this tool too often is treated and regarded as "the solution" rather than as a part of the solution.

 

A true mental health healing should treat body, soul, and spirit.

 

For the body, a true treatment would include a change of diet. Sorry folks, but a diet full of preservatives, hydrogenated fats, and who knows whatever chemicals and additives we consume is a poor way to maintain a healthy brain chemical balance! A sedate lifestyle likewise will not maintain a healthy brain chemical balance.

 

But we as a society so hate the discipline of restraining our food lust that we fight such measures tooth and nail.

 

(For the record, I have not been doing a great job at eating to my convictions on the matter, but eating properly and healthy is expensive, and food preparation takes more time than I have available to do so. Sigh.)

 

Mental health treatments likewise should focus on healing the soul and healing the spirit. But our Western scientific way of thinking shuns the idea, even among Christians, sadly.

 

I don't deny the need for medication; what I am against regarding medication as the only solution, and I am against regarding chemical imbalances as the default initial cause rather than seeking out the potential for a problem with the spirit or soul being the cause of the chemical imbalance. Thus, I am  not against treating the chemical imbalance right away, but please don't leave it there. Dig deeper. Fix the body with diet (and I do believe it has been found that unknown food allergies can also cause chemical imbalances?) and exercise as well. Go through counseling to dig up and address wounds and work towards their healing (how many mental disorders have a basis in unforgiveness for instance?). And certainly seek to determine if there are spiritual influences and get those addressed.

[missmuffet]

Please all remember that we have many members that take medicine for a variety of reasons in their life.

 

They do so under medical supervision and many of them will need to take that medication for life.

 

It can be very dangerous and upsetting to those that do when they read mixed opinions on taking medication. 

 

Medication should never be stopped without consulting with your doctor first.

There is no shame in taking antidepressants and they do help someone to have a good quality of life.

They help the person function in their daily life.

 

There is no stigma in asking or seeking medical help to fight depression and any stigma attached to it ,comes from people that are ill in formed.

 

Before posting on a thread regarding this type of topic we should really stop and ask ourselves what message we are sending out. 

Yes,ncn it is very dangerous to stop psych meds on your own and suddenly.

[LadyKay]

This is interesting: Reasons for admission to Lunatic Asylum 1800's

Women Trouble I like that one.

[Fez]

 

This is interesting: Reasons for admission to Lunatic Asylum 1800's

Women Trouble I like that one.

 

Gathering in the head?

 

Schizo? 

 

Interesting reading!

[missmuffet]

 

 

This is interesting: Reasons for admission to Lunatic Asylum 1800's

Women Trouble I like that one.

 

Gathering in the head?

 

Schizo? 

 

Interesting reading!

 

Yes,well many of use would be put into that place now if that were the case today.Congestion of brain?Hmmmm....is that any different than congestion of the sinuses?lol!!!

[WIP]

In many cases doctors prescribe medication to correct the "chemical imbalance" which they presume the patient has. when.they don't have any lab proof there is an imbalance They dish out drugs to their patients like sweets when they don't really know or understand exactly what is wrong with the patient.

It has not scientifically proven that there even is such a thing as "chemical imbalance" its presently just a theory....its like Gp's tell you your illness is "genetic" when they have no idea why you have a certain disease..just guesswork in many cases.

[missmuffet]

In many cases doctors prescribe medication to correct the "chemical imbalance" which they presume the patient has. when.they don't have any lab proof there is an imbalance They dish out drugs to their patients like sweets when they don't really know or understand exactly what is wrong with the patient.

It has not scientifically proven that there even is such a thing as "chemical imbalance" its presently just a theory....its like Gp's tell you your illness is "genetic" when they have no idea why you have a certain disease..just guesswork in many cases.

Yes,I agree.Their are no lab tests to tell if someone has a mental illness.Sometimes a Pet scanner can diagnose a problem.It is very damaging to hand many psych meds out because too many can really cause a problem.Ativan for instance can be very damaging if you take too many and get addicted.If a person goes off of Ativan and they are addicted they can have seizures or worse.If a mental illness is not a chemical imbalance in the brain then what causes it?The brain can go bad just as the pancreas does when someone has diabetes.

[Guest AFlameOfFire]

Man, I remember in 2003 I started getting depressed and it was sticking around for awhile, and typical of me (to avoid doctors) after 7 months of it, I caved and went in to see one. Right on the spot I was given a prescription for what I knew nothing of (it was Effexor) one of those anti depression type drugs. The only way I could describe the feeling (for me) was the absence of a dark cloud (not the presence of joy) or anything like that. Besides, who can actually make a pill that can equal (in us) that which our Lord is to us? 

 

But I felt a little strange (as if I was devoid of emotion) while on it.

 

It turned out (as I started to become sicker) it was finally discovered that I really had walking Pneumonia. That was my true diagnosis. I never even needed this drug for depression. I was feeling depressed because it had been wreaking havoc in my system for so long and my inability to shake it and push through it resulted in depression. Just a symptom of being ill (and not knowing it) for so long. The effort it took me trying to get through the typical day (without any physical energy) and for so long (kind of thing).

 

 But now this stuff was in my system and I had no absolutely no clue that trying to get off of it (for me) would be a living hell. My with drawl symptoms were nightmares. When I say nightmares, I mean far worse then those Freddy Krugger type nightmares in that horro movie released back in the 80s. And likewise when I going through this time I honestly couldn't discern dream from reality then. Never in my life had I experienced something like that. So I had to get on the internet and find out the best way to get off of it because my doctor was useless, saying "never heard of that". Where I recognized that my sanity seemed became an issue again. I resented that. I told the doctor that many thousands of others were saying the same (as I am telling him) The doctor's response was, Oh don't listen to anyone on the internet because they don't know what they are talking about.

 

But I was like, Oh yeah? and YOU did?? You misdiagnosed me, and mis prescribed and those on the internet are describing the very thing I am experiencing through your incompetence? And its THEY don't know what they are talking about?? No wonder I avoid you people (relearned my lesson again).

 

And I have always had a distrust of doctors (from past experiences) and those that just keep following after. So I could have kicked myself for caving and going in the first place. Because if I thought I was depressed (then) I hadn't seen nothing yet. Because it took me many months to find the right way off of those things (without losing my sanity). And it wasn't (at all) that this stuff  was addicting, it was the absolutely terrifying side effects I was experiencing while trying to cease from taking them. I don't what those things were doing in (and to) my mind, but all I knew is I have never in my life experienced the kind of bloody nightmares (along with an inability to discern them reality) while on them. And that's no exaggeration. That's one thing those who have that particular side effect (which kicked in for me also) after about a week of ceasing from them can relate with one another on. This in spite of a very gradual and careful weaning (to the point of ridiculous). You can typically find them going into detail trying to get others to understand what it was that actually blew their mind. Because there was just nothing to be compared to it. I knew they spoke the truth (whereas the so called doctor) was trying to convince me otherwise. It was no more their imagination (then it was my own). I believed them because it was my own, and I don't typically don't dream as I have shared before. But these? They were one of the hardest things (in my entire life) to endure through, to be quite honest.

 

After seven days of being off them, these insane nightmares started, and honestly if they were just one thing, they were absolutely terrifying. Now I am an insomniac (typically) and so I can stay up for days at a time. So I really only needed to endure three of these nightmares in the end. And because I would only go to sleep (but not without a fight against doing so) just three nights of those seven while with drawling from it. It was inescapable. And I understood (from others experiences) that this could go on anywhere from seven days (to a month) even longer. I was hoping for my lucky seven. By the third nights sleep (if you would even call it that) I was fried. I was  bawling my eyes out, telling the Lord I cannot do this, I just cant. I do not want to return to these things (and be a slave to them) simply to avoid these with drawling side effects. And that had become my last nightmare (I was done). I wont describe the nightmares though, because there hasn't been a horror movie to their equals made. Worst of all, I had lost the ability (while having them) to discern between reality (and dream). These two had become so absolutely blurred (while having them) which made them far more terrifying. Was I awake, or was I asleep? Did that just happen?

 

God gave me a sound mind, the doctors (in my case) gave me whatever that was. In this case I was mis diagnosed, but that sure wasn't the first time. Other times (prior to this) has caused me to distrust them. Once, when I was in a lot of pain (and for which) I don't mind them so much for that. I was prescribed a deadly combination (one of the side effects being suicidal thoughts). And man, did I. I was already meditating on just how I would do it till I called in and asked what is in this stuff? I don't know what is worse the physical pain or the emotional pain. But I was told that was mis prescribed and a deadly combination and was told to immediately cease those also.

 

Just bad advice too. Like when I had lost my six year old daughter Emily, because her doctor felt she could wait 24 hours to be seen, but she didn't have that long. (another long story)

 

So I have had some bad experiences with doctors concerning right diagnoses, bad advice, and bad drug combinations etc (many of which) before these few (shared) have gone unmentioned.

 

I have a sort of a doctor phobia (to a certain degree). If God wont take care of it, I will absolutely fret having to actually go. But it has to be above and beyond the pain I am unable to endure. And I live in pain everyday, because of my spine, but when those levels are raised (to the point) I contemplate a doctor then I get scared because I am pretty much scared of them. I will fret having to actually consider going to one because they have honestly caused me more pain and worse things to come upon me then any actual wellness.

 

At least in my own experience anyways.